Arizona weekly citizen., 1887-11-19
SELLING A PICTURE.
HOW TIRE COMMERCIAL ARTIST
 MANAGES TO MAKE MONEY.

He Sells Paintings With SomPArau'e
 Ease, While the Man of Talent Gets
 Left-Tooting e Worthless Pieture-An
 Anxtsus Artist
 rrk proposition commanding assent ss s,on A, it is stated that ths best and most s<illful artists do not ssil the greatest number of picture, or receive the largest sums of money for their work Generally speaking, it is the artist who is the best salesman who sets rid of the post wares IL n the com mercial drummer whs can paint nhs puts the greatest amount of oulored canvas on the market Of course thsrS srs certain facts which go to qualify this stAteTnsns, but, tas- ing the whole question of sslling pictures ID their entirety and ignoring details Tor . mo ment, this statement may b< allowed to stand as substantially true.
 The advantage which . maker of bad paintings who possesses what ts called buSi- ness push and energy has over an aftist who lacks these qualifications, and an artist Csu- ally does lack them, Is the widespread isnor- ance of art among the public and the utter innocence among great many picture buyers of what constitutes good picture. There are people buying pictures today, anu WHO have started in to make a collection, who are tn very much the situation of those abund- antly financed young ladies who 50 into some of the dry goods stores uptown and, approach ing one of the counters, engages in the follow- ing conversation:
 "Hsw much is that jacketi It is very pretty, isn't itF
 Yes" replies the afable saleswoman, it Is pretty. That jacket Is Sll-25.'
 ~Only SlL25! IL can't be very nice.'
 And the strawberry and cream complex toned customer is about to turn away, an e1- preSsion of contempt for such plebeian prices fitting across her pretty face.
 -Oh,' says the quick saleswoman, @these have been reduced. But We have some morc expensive ones"
 And after going through familiar pro cess, the guileless young thing pays so CT go for a garment very little, if any, better than the first one which was shown her. And it is the same way with these artists and the people who come to them to buy pic tures. If the srtist has that kind of business sense and morality which manufactures good opinion for his pictures by placing an ao- surdly high price on them, be manages to sell Off goodly number of them. The purchasers esteem them at the value which the artistR whO have painted them put on them, and buy them because they are high priced The price asked Is about the only standard whereby they can ms lsure them And then the following dialogue occurs between the scion of the purchaser and the scion of a rival picture buyer and collector:
 Master Brown, aged G-My pa has got magnificent picture in our gallery. It was painted by Rosa Bonbeur, and cost $500. Miss Smith, aged 5-My pa has got a better picture than that IL cost 5000, and was painted by my uncle George Washington | Smith.
 That squelches the olive branch of the Browns, and his opinion of Rosa Bonheur h ruined forever At all events the artist cf the "Horse Fair compares with c. W. Smi,b as $500 compares with 5000
 TRYING TO SELL A PICTURE Keeping in mind the ignorance of the every | day picture buyer, 1t is obvious that tLe Il young artist who has real talent and who has the modest opinion of his own work with which real talent is usually in company, has a great deal of difficulty in getting started He cannot go up to a canvas of his and say: Now that Is great picture-a really great picture. l ask 500 for that. When l am dead and cannot paint any more like it that painting will bring s5, 5,OO0 at auctiOn--
 He cannot toOt artistic work in any such barefaced way, and yet 1t is this kind of tOot- ing which sells pictures to a man who knows that his personal judgment on a composition isn't worth a row of pins. He accepts the other mans judgment, the judgment of the artist. the Salesman-in point of fact of the commercial drummer who k trying to sell Q bill of his own goods The drummer's bold assertion touches his imagination, appeals to his cupidity, and he buys the picture for SJ10. which may be worth a tenth Of that amount, while at that very moment there are pictures hanging in studios around town which ure really works of art, and which would not se unworthy companions of the Nillets, the CorotS, the Salvador RoSSas. the Daubignys and the Geromes which have been purchased on the advice of disintenestel picture dealers.
 The persistency of these commercial artists has furnished the bass Of a good many ansc- dotes which are retailed at art receptions and Bohemian suppers 4 favorite story is of one fellow who had been in hard luck for some time, who captured a would be picture buyer in his attic studio. but had unfortunately nothing in hand which struck the fancy of the customer. After vainly expa;iating on his wares and failing to make a sale, be begged 10 make suggestions for pictures in the hope If securing commission and payment on ac- count. But the collector was not impressed and moved toward the door, followed by the eager and impecunious artist As the artist followed him down the stairs be stopped the patron, now anxious to be ofT, with appeals to inspect suggestions for pictures which he hastily outlined on the wall with piece of charcoal which he had carried with him from the rooms. In this way be followed tbe man flown four flights of stairs and the passage was decorated with -ketches throughout is entire length, So that .t looked like the pre- liminary drawings tor panorama The picture buyer was obdurate, however, and the artist went back 70 his room, rubbinA out bis sketches with Lis coat sleeve as he as- cended.-New York Mail and Express l